Stormzy's 'Heavy Is The Head' tour: Look back at his incredible shows

Check out some of our exclusive pictures! 📸

Author: Hannah MellinPublished 31st Mar 2022
Last updated 5th Apr 2022

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, most of our favourite artists – including Harry Styles - had to postpone or cancel live tour dates during 2020. However, live music is officially back in our lives (yay!) and rapper Stormzy rescheduled his tour dates in support of his 2019 album 'Heavy Is The Head'.

With the tour wrapping up on 3rd April 2022, we were lucky enough to snap some pretty impressive shots of the rapper in action, as he performed his impressive show at London's O2 Arena on 27th March 2022. Take a look through the shots below!

Stormzy's 'Heavy Is The Head' tour at London's O2 Arena 2022:

Stormzy at The O2 Arena in London


Stormzy at The O2 Arena in London


Stormzy at The O2 Arena in London


Stormzy at The O2 Arena in London


Stormzy at The O2 Arena in London


Stormzy at The O2 Arena in London


The grime artist finally confirmed the new dates on Tuesday 19th October 2021, and confirmed that extra tickets were also on sale.

Stormzy's tour finished on 3rd April 2022, with the last show taking place at the OVO Hydro, in Glasgow. Take a look back through all of the details about Stormzy's 'Heavy Is The Head' tour below.

When did Stormzy goi on tour?

The tour was his biggest yet, and included three nights at London’s O2 Arena as well as shows in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Liverpool. The new dates (rescheduled from 2020) of the tour began on Sunday 13th March at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff and ended on Monday 4th April at The OVO Hydro in Glasgow.

His three-night residency at London’s O2 Arena covered March 27th, 28th and 29th.

Where did Stormzy go on his 'Heavy Is The Head' tour?

Stormzy's tour took him across the UK and Ireland, with shows in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. You can view the full list of tour dates and venues below.

Stormzy’s 2022 'Heavy Is The Head' tour dates in full:

March 2022

13th March: Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff

15th March: Utilita Arena, Newcastle Upon Tyne

16th March: First Direct Arena, Leeds

18th March: Utilita Arena, Sheffield

19th March: AO Arena, Manchester

20th March: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool

21st March: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham

23rd March: Utilita Arena, Birmingham

24th March: BIC, Bournemouth

27th March: The O2 Arena, London (tickets from April 12, 2021 are valid)

28th March: The O2 Arena, London (tickets from April 13, 2021 are valid)

29th March: The O2 Arena, London (tickets from April 14, 2021 are valid)

April 2022

1st April: 3Arena, Dublin (tickets from April 2, 2021 are valid)

2nd April : 3Arena, Dublin (tickets from April 3, 2021 are valid)

3rd April: OVO Hydro, Glasgow

Where can I get tickets to see Stormzy's 'Heavy Is The Head' tour?

Stormzy's 'Heavy Is The Head' tour has now finished.

Who supported Stormzy on his his 2022 tour?

Stormzy's sister, DJ Rachael Anson. supported him on his 'Heavy Is The Head' tour dates. Rachael took to Instagram on 1st March to announce that she would be joining her brother on tour to play a DJ set, and has since been sharing photos from her performances.

Check out all of Stormzy's biggest career moments so far:

2013: Career beginnings

Aged 19 in 2013, Stormzy was trying to make his music career happen while working in Southampton at an oil refinery. He released his first full project '168: The Mixtape'. The piece got its name from the fact it was recorded in one week - or 168 hours.

2014: MOBO win

The next year he followed up with 'Dreamers Disease EP' and the seven tracks shot to Number 1 in the iTunes Hip Hop/Rap chart and that year Stormzy scooped up Best Grime Artist at the MOBO Awards.


That's when things really started to take off for Stormzy as more and more people took notice of his talent. Fans were also feeling his love of Nando's, and he'd occasionally take fans there for free or casually gift them Adidas trainers.

2015: 'Know Me From' and 'Shut Up'

Stormzy also won Best Grime Act for the second year running at the 2015 MOBO Awards, and in February 2015 he dropped his first single 'Know Me From' with track 'Shut Up' following shortly after.

2015: Anthony Joshua performance

Stormzy performed 'Shut Up' live at Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte's boxing match at the O2 as Joshua's entrance music. The single was the first ever freestyle to enter the UK Top 40 and peaked at Number 18, which led Stormzy to launch a campaign to get the song to Christmas Number 1.


It had such support that the song did indeed break into the Top 10 for Christmas - although it didn't reach the top spot, it peaked at Number 8 and was his highest-charting single at the time.

2017: Debut album release

Following a year's career break in 2016 and a social media hiatus, Stormzy burst back onto the scene in 2017, releasing his debut album 'Gang Signs & Prayer' in February - going straight to Number 1. Stormzy also took part in the Artists For Grenfell campaign, featuring on the charity single 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' to raise funds for the residents of Grenfell Tower. At the BRIT Awards, he took home the gong for British Male Solo Artist.

2018: BRIT Awards performance

Stormzy's epic performance at the BRIT Awards 2018 saw the rapper use his platform to call out the government for not doing enough to help the residents of Grenfell Tower. His album 'Gang Signs & Prayer' became the first ever rap album to win British Album of the Year.

2019: Glastonbury Festival headline slot and second album

2019 was another big year for Stormzy - his headline set on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2019 was hugely acclaimed, and he once again used his platform to comment on politics. Wearing a Union Jack stab vest designed by artist Banksy, many took this as a comment on knife crime in London. He also used a speech made by Labour MP David Lammy on the British criminal justice system.


Stormzy released his second album, 'Heavy Is the Head', in December 2019, which went to Number 1 in the UK.

2020: BRIT Award win

Stormzy announced his 'Heavy is the Head' tour in December 2019, which was to take place in September 2020 around the UK - starting with two nights at The O2 in London, then calling at Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bournemouth. Unfortunately, dates of his tour were rescheduled due to the pandemic.


On the more positive side, Stormzy won British Male Solo Artist at the BRITs 2020, as well as three other nominations, and gave an incredible 10-minute performance with Burna Boy of 'Don't Forget to Breathe', 'Wiley Flow', 'Own It' and 'Rainfall'.


The rapper and singer spent time in 2020 being charitable, working with a scheme to give a young fan a bedroom makeover, as well as surprising him in a heartfelt video. Stormzy was also announced to appear on the soundtrack for NBA video game NBA 2K21 with his song 'Bronze' from album 'Heavy is the Head'.

2021: Madame Tussauds waxwork

On 26th July 2021, in celebration of the rapper's 28th birthday, it was announced that he would be getting his very own waxwork at Madame Tussauds London, joining their star-studded summer line-up.

2022: 'Heavy Is The Head' Tour

Stormzy headed on tour around the UK supporting his 2019 album 'Heavy Is The Head'. Following his residency at London's O2 Arena, which covered March 27th, 28th and 29th, the tour - which is the rapper's biggest to date - wrapped up on 3rd April 2022.


The tour was his biggest yet and also saw him perform in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Liverpool. Stormzy's sister Rachael Anson was the supporting act for the tour and played a DJ setlist to open his shows.

2022: Met Gala debut

Stormzy made his debut at the prestigious Met Gala where the theme was White Tie. Suiting up in the spirit of the dress code, the rapper wore an all-white Burberry three-piece wool suit complete with satin lapels. Also adding to the outfit was an impressive matching white cape designed by Riccardo Tisci.

2022: Honorary degree

Stormzy was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Exeter - he is now a doctor! In his acceptance speech, he told of his experience taking his AS Levels. He said he was "extremely blessed and grateful".

2022: Third album announced

Big Mike announced his highly-anticipated third album 'This Is What I Mean' in October 2022, revealing the track list AND that it would be coming just a month later in November.

2022: British GQ Men of the Year cover star

Stormzy appeared as the cover star of British GQ's Men of the Year edition, a hugely prestigious title. In his profile interview, he spoke about how he views success differently now he's older: "My version of success now requires a man: not just more music and more money. Now it means taking care of my family, having children, having a wife, even understanding marriage and raising kids, and that requires a man."

2023: Stormzy was nominated for three BRIT Awards

In January 2023, Stormzy picked up three BRIT Award nominations including ones for: Mastercard Album of The Year, Artist of The Year and Hip Hop, Grime and Rap act. Although he lost to Harry Styles twice and Aitch, he gave an incredible performance at the event.

2023: 'The Weekend' with RAYE

In July 2023, Stormzy teamed up with RAYE on 'The Weekend'. The track is accompanied by an official music video and combines Stormzy's rap and RAYE's soulful vocals.

2024: Sixth MOBO Award win

Stormzy took home his sixth MOBO Award at the ceremony in February 2024, taking home the Video of the Year gong for 'Mel Made Me Do It' and tying him Central Cee for the most awarded rapper in MOBOs history. Although he couldn't be there in person, he sent a message of thanks in which he said he was "honoured" and that the video was a "piece of art" for all involved in the making of the video.

2024: MerkyFC HQ launch

In May 2024, Stormzy shared the exciting news that he, along with Adidas, were opening the brand new MerkyFC HQ in Croydon. He wrote: 'Excited to finally announce a very special project that myself and Adidas have been working on for the past 3 years. The brand new #MerkyFC HQ in Croydon - A new multi-purpose centre providing opportunities for young Londoners across football, music and gaming.


'Don't wanna get too emotional but it means the world to be able to build something in my hometown that can serve the community and be a place for opportunity, education, fun and of course football.


'We are open from tomorrow - Visit merkyfchq.com to find out more about how you can get involved! #MerkyFC HQ . TO GOD BE THE GLORY! 🙏🏿❤️'.


Stormzy and Adidas' Merky FC initiative was first announced in 2023, providing 15 you black people with jobs in the industry - with the rapper revealing that in 2024, he wants to go bigger, with 50 roles available.

2024: F1 British Grand Prix performance

In July 2024, Stormzy performed to the British Grand Prix crowd as a headline act, taking to the main stage as part of the weekend-long festival. The performance served as Stormzy's debut Silverstone appearance, as well as his second live show in the UK in 2024. Ahead of the big race, the rapper took to the stage on Friday 5th July, with his then-girlfriend Maya Jama there supporting him.


Sadly, the couple announced they had split less than two weeks later in a joint statement, explaining that they had tried again following their original relationship that ended in 2019.

2019 was a huge year for Stormzy - his headline set on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2019 was hugely acclaimed, and he once again used his platform to comment on politics. Wearing a Union Jack stab vest designed by artist Banksy, many took this as a comment on knife crime in London. He also used a speech made by Labour MP David Lammy on the British criminal justice system.

The year also saw Stormzy release his second album, 'Heavy Is the Head', in December 2019, which went to Number 1 in the UK. The album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2020.

Now read:

Madame Tussauds unveil Stormzy's first ever waxwork

Everything you need to know about Harry Styles' 'Love On Tour'

Justin Bieber announces world tour with UK dates

How to listen to Downtown Radio:

Tune into Northern Ireland's Home of Great Music, Downtown Radio on FM, AM, DAB Digital Radio, online, on our Rayo app and by asking your smart speaker to 'Play Downtown Radio'. Gary & Glen kick things off every weekday morning and Neal McClelland brings you home on Downtown Drive.